James Wolfe Primary School and Centre for the Deaf

Inspection Report James Wolfe Primary School with Centre for the Deaf

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131246 Unique Reference Number Greenwich LEA LEA 285353 Inspection number 21 June 2006 to 21 June 2006 Inspection dates Kay Charlton AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Randall Place School address Primary Type of school Greenwich Community School category London SE10 9LA 2 to 11 Age range of pupils 02088582472 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02083052910 Fax number 430 Number on roll Mrs Diana Greaves Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Nicky Dyer Headteacher 17 April 2006 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 285353 21 June 2006 - 2 to 11 21 June 2006 Inspection Report: James Wolfe Primary School with Centre for the Deaf, 21 June 2006 to 21 June 2006

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors. They met with the headteacher, pupils, parents, staff and the chair of governors. They observed examples of teaching and learning and also examined the work of pupils. Questionnaires were received from just over one hundred parents. These views supplemented the school's self-evaluation and contributed to the writing of this report.

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Description of the school

James Wolfe School is a larger than average primary school with a nursery. In addition, there are twenty three profoundly deaf pupils on roll who are fully integrated into the school. In order to reflect the nature of this provision more closely the school has recently changed its name from James Wolfe School with Unit for Hearing Impaired to James Wolfe School with Centre for the Deaf. There is a high percentage of pupils with statements of special educational need. Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic groups and around a fifth speak English as an additional language. A high percentage of pupils are eligible for free school meals. On entry to nursery, pupils' attainment is wide-ranging and overall below average. The school has recently gained the Healthy Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: James Wolfe Primary School with Centre for the Deaf, 21 June 2006 to 21 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Parents justifiably hold this school in high regard. They make comments such as 'This school is a very positive and joyful place. Children are happy and purposeful in their work'. The inspection confirms both the parents' and the school's view that it is a good school. At the heart of the school's success is the vision that all pupils, whatever their background or ability, will achieve their best. Teaching and learning are good. Teachers are keen and enthusiastic. In turn, pupils try hard, and in all age groups including the Foundation Stage, they make good progress. Deaf pupils are catered for very well and make very good progress. By the time they leave virtually all pupils attain or exceed the standards expected nationally. Throughout the school, pupils show very positive attitudes to learning and a good sense of enjoyment in their work. A particular strength of the school is the way in which pupils from very diverse backgrounds and with very

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Grade: 2

different needs work together showing high levels of respect for each others' differences. The curriculum is enriched very well and is carefully matched to pupils' needs, to ensure that their basic skills in literacy and numeracy are developed systematically. Care, guidance and support are of a high quality. Staff establish very good relationships with pupils and, in a calm and purposeful climate, provide good levels of care. There are very strong links with outside agencies that make a particularly positive contribution to the provision for deaf pupils. The headteacher provides strong leadership and along with the senior leadership team has a very accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They are actively developing the skills of the staff to ensure that the school's identified priorities concerned with challenging more able pupils at Key Stage 1 and improving boys' writing in Key Stage 2 are realised.

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Grade: 2

Governors are very proactive and they ensure all statutory requirements are met. They ask searching questions about the school's effectiveness and provide a very good level of support in its drive for improvement. The school has maintained the high standards recognised in the previous inspection. The way the school has responded to the key issues raised at that time demonstrates good capacity for further improvement. The school provides good value for money.

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Grade: 2

All pupils, whatever their background or ability, do well at James Wolfe school. Deaf pupils receive high quality support and they achieve very well. By the end of Year 6, standards in English, mathematics and science are in line with the national average. This represents good progress from an overall below average starting point on entry to the school. 2 Inspection Report: James Wolfe Primary School with Centre for the Deaf, 21 June 2006 to 21 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good. Behaviour is very good and pupils develop very positive attitudes to learning. They develop extremely positive relationships with others who have very different backgrounds and beliefs. They learn to adopt a healthy lifestyle and explain very knowledgeably why they are changing their eating habits and how much they enjoy school meals. Attendance is satisfactory. However, the school is implementing a wide range of strategies to achieve further improvement. Pupils are learning very effectively about how they might take responsibility as citizens in the future and they make a strong contribution to the community.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Staff are very positive in their approach and as a result pupils say 'our teachers help us to learn a lot'. Teachers make effective use of a wide range of techniques and resources to make learning both meaningful and fun. Team work is a noticeable feature and class teachers and staff from the centre for the deaf work together very well to ensure all pupils are fully integrated into lessons. Throughout the school, staff use sign language effectively to support the learning of all. An increased focus on 'learning how to learn' is seen as key to future development and staff are giving more informed feedback to pupils to ensure that they are challenged at all times to meet their targets. This was exemplified very well in an outstanding English lesson seen in Year 5.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with very good enrichment. It is well planned to meet pupils' diverse needs and provides good first-hand experiences. There is a strong emphasis on healthy living and it is greatly enriched by rewarding educational visits. The strong cultural enrichment is very well supported by the school's extended schools programme and by its links into the rich diversity of its community. The school is particularly successful in developing pupils' appreciation of music and the creative arts. Opportunities for pupils to write at length, particularly in Key Stage 2, are being successfully extended as a result of a recent review of curriculum planning. Care is being taken to ensure that, where possible, pupils have an input into the planning. This is important to increase their motivation, especially to help boys in Key Stage 2 improve their writing. 3 Inspection Report: James Wolfe Primary School with Centre for the Deaf, 21 June 2006 to 21 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils are well cared for and procedures to protect them are good. The staff show a high level of respect towards each pupil. Governors and staff carry out systematic risk assessments and health and safety checks. Child protection procedures are robust and effective. Data about the pupils' academic performance is used well to interpret trends and to identify patterns of achievement amongst groups and individuals. It is also used to help set targets for pupils. This is working well overall although more can still be done to help more able pupils reach higher levels of attainment by the end of Year 2.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. In the short time since her appointment, the new headteacher has earned the respect of pupils, parents and staff. Changes to the way responsibilities are distributed amongst staff are enabling leaders at all levels to be more active in their roles and this is proving very motivational for all. The senior leadership team make a particularly strong contribution to the school's self-evaluation which is accurate and robust. The school has identified where improvement is most needed and it is targeting resources effectively to ensure that standards continue to improve. Governors are a real asset to the school. They monitor the school's performance and hold it to account. The governing body provides good opportunities for parents to express their views and contribute their ideas. 4 Inspection Report: James Wolfe Primary School with Centre for the Deaf, 21 June 2006 to 21 June 2006

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: James Wolfe Primary School with Centre for the Deaf, 21 June 2006 to 21 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils Thank you for your help when we came to inspect your school on 21 June 2006. You are very proud of your school. The inspection shows that it is a good school and you told us that you really enjoy going there each day. You say that you think that you get a chance to do a lot of things including playing musical instruments, going to lots of clubs, learning French and also sign language. You say that the staff help you to learn a lot and you make good progress. You all show high levels of respect towards each other and you work together very well. The headteacher and the leadership team support the staff very well and are helping everyone to develop their skills so that the school can improve. You can play an important part in this by making sure that all of you try very hard to reach your targets at all times, especially those of you in Key Stage 1 who like a challenge. It is also important, particularly for the boys in Key

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Stage 2, to try to improve your writing. We know that the school is working hard to improve attendance and each one of you has an important part to play to ensure this happens. Yours sincerely, Kay Charlton Lead Inspector

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